Blue dog will guard Metairie intersection starting in January

Jefferson Parish officials are planning a Jan. 7 ceremony to unveil the towering blue dog sculpture that will stand at the corner of Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Severn Avenue in Metairie, Streets Director Randy Nicholson said Wednesday.

Mary Jackson / The Times-Picayune archiveGeorge Rodrigue paints a blue dog at a 2005 charity fundraiser.Nicholson previously said the 16-foot metal blue dog by artist George Rodrigue would arrive by late November. But Wedneseday he said bids to install the landscaping around Rodrigue's iconic image came in too late for the Jefferson Parish Council to consider this month.

He said the unveiling of the sculpture, which was commissioned by real estate developer Henry Shane, will include a ceremony at the intersection likely followed by a fundraiser at a yet-to-be-named restaurant, where Rodrigue will sign books.